I’ve discovered the website Medium (medium.com) a little over a year ago. For those that don’t know what medium is, I recommend you to go check it out – after you’ve read this post.
This is what I think medium is:
Medium is a site .. No. Medium is a space. It is a space on the internet where people gather to write and read writings by others. Medium is a community where reading, writing, inspiration and much more comes together. The written content of the site is organized by those who create it. And you, the reader (and maybe writer) decides what you wish to read upon.
This is for the introduction. You, medium – medium, you.
So why is medium like TED, but written? I couldn’t decide my wordings on this title. I hesitate between a few different options, here are some alternatives:
- Medium, the TED, in writing
- Medium: the written TED
- Medium or the written TED
- And in the same registry, Medium: TED to read
I came to realize about my appreciation for medium as I just had finished watching a TED talk with my gf. She went to sleep but as I couldn’t find sleep myself, I switched on the tablet and headed to the site. Right after I finished reading the first writing it caught my attention. That’s when I realized. Hey! Why am I feeling so amazed now that I just finished reading this awesome piece? This feels just like … The way I felt after TED?
To the taste of all
TED is great. It is immensely great content, accessible to all, for free and there are topics for every taste. To me, this is they key. Content is important but content of interest is even more. What I like is being able to browse through things and be intrigued onto something. Taxonomies and categories are essential and for both medium and TED, it is a corner stone.
Anyone can find a category with which he feels good – in which he feels at home. From there onwards, the connection is made.
Brilliant minds
Not everything is amazing. Not every talk or writing is a revelations. But most of the time they are. This ratio right there between a story that blows you away and those the make you fall sleep is another reason for me to call it this way. On medium there are – to me – more inspiration and quality readings than anywhere else to my knowledge on the internet. Post might be re-shares from original locations, and that’s fine. The fact that they are available in one place to all, for free is the second striking and awesome thing about both medium and TED.
Wether you read about social media, technology, programing, Buddhism or event architecture. There are words of truth, wisdom and brilliance in nearly each single on of these.
Inspire
TED wouldn’t be the show it is without that magic ingredient. Inspiration. I don’t remember the first ever TED talk I watched, but I can still remember how I felt. I felt as I was that guy on stage. I could feel the excitement. The passion. I could feel that me too, in my own life, on my own way, I am part of the same thing. As I’m writing this post, I know realize that this is how I feel by reading most of the reads on medium. Being more productive, sharing a passion, getting introduced to research results or learning on how to be a better person – inspiration is everywhere.
The people, the audience, the place
And finally … Not just me. Have you noticed on TED how on each talk they show the crowd? How much attention is put into each of these audience shots? Similarly have you noticed how the design of the stage is so important? Position of the speaker, dimension of the screen, TED branding etc.
On medium you are not alone. As you are not the only one watching at TED, you are not alone reading on medium. Comments, feedback, followship, recommendations … These are magic tools: the well crafter audience shots.
Thee don’t aim at pushing a connection to you, but simply tells you ” hey look, there is a + here! It’s not just you that had a smile on that last sentence”.
The place and it’s design is another key dominator between both. Medium is clean, simple and yet typical. You know when you read a writing that you are one medium, the same way you would know that this is the true TED show when you watch it. Visual comfort for the eyes, but also a visual comfort for the reader. Medium is a place that is designed and feels like everyone’s home.
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If you haven’t yet open a new tab to check out medium.com well now is the time. Have a look, join this fantastic community of people, writers and readers. And tell me – how to you perceive medium?
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